Damavand Peak
Damavand Peak (Persian: قله دماوند) is a map featured in Battlefield 3, taking place at Iran's highest peak, Mount Damavand. The map's distinguishing feature is a five hundred meter base jump between the 2nd and 3rd sets of M-COM stations in the Rush game mode. Background A rugged mountain area plays a major role in deciding whether Russian or US troops are successful in combat operations in the sector, as the area is home to key radar installations. Rush Stage 1 The first set of objectives in Rush is halfway down the side of a section of the mountain, split between two buildings at a fenced off communications tower. Attackers can easily climb the concrete wall near Alpha using the outer buttresses. Alpha is just outside the western building, with some containers nearby providing a convenient hiding spot. Bravo is inside the lower of a two-story portable. Attackers have only a Humvee and C-RAM, while defenders can use a scout helicopter. Stage 2 The second set of objectives is located at a helipad on the edge of an approximately 500-meter cliff. Alpha is located in a two-story building and Bravo is placed against a wall and between containers. The defenders retain their scout helicopter, while the attackers carry only their Humvee from the prior stage. Stage 3 The attackers must either take a 500-meter dive from the helipads down to Factory Valley or ride down in either a scout or transport helicopter. Attackers should remember to clear the helipad, or risk having their helicopters stolen by the enemy or being killed before they can even make the jump. Alpha is placed inside the factory complex and Bravo is located in a container. Two upper areas in the factory give clear view of the areas below, and the roof of the factory is another popular area to defend. The eastern roads and structures give sight over Bravo area. Stage 4 The fourth set of objectives greatly reduces the use of aircraft, though it is possible to fly a scout helicopter inside the tunnel from the entrance opposite the attacker's deployment. Both teams now have their own tank. The defenders also have a Kornet emplacement at the center of the tunnel system. The objectives are located within large mining tunnels. The tunnel has one large passageway and two narrow sub tunnels. One objective is placed within a pile of rocks and next to a construction/mining vehicle. The other objective is located in the first floor of a two-story building. Stage 5 This set of objectives is located in Mining Camp, with objective A underneath a tin roof shelter, and B inside the portables near where the flag would be. Attackers lose their tank spawn, but retain their transport helicopter (at the high helipad) and HMMWV. Conquest Deployments Conquest US spawns from Factory Valley, while Russia spawns from Mining Camp. Large US forces spawn from the base of the cliff beyond Factory Valley, while Russia spawns at the edge of the mining area to the far north. Factory Valley Large The flag is located outside of the factory. There are many places to hide, and helicopters can stalk the area west of the factory. South Entrance This flag is located in a triangular area between the tunnel entrance and factory. With much more open ground and the factory roof, combatants are much more exposed. Tunnel This is the central flag of the map, and is set in a small sub-tunnel on the eastern side. Oil tanks, shipping crates, and 2 two-story buildings on both sides provide cover. A central wall divides parts of the tunnel, and burning wrecks may obscure vision. Each team can enter the tunnel through two main archways (though one on the US side is blocked by a huge dump truck) and two walkways on the outside. Snipers and machine gunners often occupy the side tunnels, although a slight curve and many doorways to the main tunnels prevent complete coverage. Scout helicopters may use the sky to bypass the tunnel, so neither team can neglect their back flags or vehicle assets. North Entrance Conveyor ramps and high terrain to either side give some vertical options for defenders. Rock formations and piles of gravel provide ground cover. Mining Camp Large This flag is kept near portable buildings in a fortified yard containing SAM batteries. Conveyors also stretch through this area. Team Deathmatch Deathmatches take place around Mining Camp and North Entrance. It offers lots of cover and many chokepoints. Squad Deathmatch Squad Deathmatch takes place at the US Deployment and Objective Alpha. All 4 squads have access to the BMP-2M that spawns randomly in one of the set places on the map. Design Notes "Damavand Peak, internally known as Base Jump, is built on the idea that we want players to be able to base jump, and features our most extreme height differences ever in a Battlefield map. Attackers in Rush and Squad Rush will start high up on a mountain ridge above a mining facility. The only way down into the valley is to somehow make the 500 meter descent. The further the attackers progress in the map, the more vehicle warfare will be present. There is also a large tunnel section dug into the mountain side at the bottom of the map, and the view when you look up at the starting location is spectacular." Trivia *The map size in Team Deathmatch was drastically decreased in the 1.04 update due to the map spawning being "too spread out". *For an unknown reason, the name 'Damavand Peak' in English appears on the side of the helipad atop the mountain, even though this area is located in Iran, and would hence be written in Persian. * While both sides can go over the tunnel by helicopter, any soldier or vehicle that makes contact with the mountain (or features attached to it) will be instantly killed by the game. Getting low to the mountain ground will damage any player in a Scout Helicopter until they move away. This was most likely designed to prevent players from setting up a very defensible position on top of the mountain. * Damavand Peak is a real mountain in Iran, northeast of Tehran. * GPS coordinates from the MAV or EOD Bot place this map slightly east of Mashhad, Iran, and extending south. This is about 500 kilometers east of the real location, and are not accurate coordinates. * In Conquest, there is a top boundary. Though not normally encountered by players, users of MAVs may be warned if they ascend too high, even if they are inside of the infantry perimeter. This may be another deterrent to players or gadgets being on top of the mountain. * In Rush, M224 Mortar users are not able to attack between the helipad and the base below. Shells launched from up top merely disappear, while shells launched from below have their angle trimmed (preventing them from ever reaching the helipad). * At release, Rush game mode had four bases, with the last inside the tunnel. For the patch coinciding with Endgame, a fifth base was added at Mining Camp. * A static Su-35BM Flanker-E jet can be seen in the northwest corner of the map. It is advised to view it using a 12x scope from the Northern Entrance (D) capture point on Conquest or final set of M-COMS in Rush. * For some strange reason, the stage 3 buildings/warehouses feature red doors with German signs reading "Elektrischer Betriebsraum, Zutritt nur Befugten gestattet", translating to "Electrical service room, authorized personnel only". * Originally, there were only four stages of Rush. The fifth was added in an update. * At the cliff of the peak, there is a very small, seemingly invisible, extension of ground that can be stood upon and have supplies such as ammo dropped on. Gallery DAMAVANDPEAK_SC2.jpg|A view of the mountain 500m Basejump - Hands on.png|Base jumping Basejump Imminent.png|Gameplay on Damavand Peak Damavand Peak Original Team Deathmatch Version.png|Original Team Deathmatch Boundaries Damavand Peak 1.04 Update Team Deathmatch Version.png|Update 1.04 Team Deathmatch Boundaries Battlefield 3 Panorama Damavand Peak 2.jpg|Panoramic view, showing the map environment. de:Damavand-Gipfel Category:Maps of Battlefield 3